Lost Lenore
by easy pancakes
Summary: Byakuya Togami laments on his past decisions concerning a certain woman. Based on Danganronpa 3 future arc episode 9 AU


Even in death she was still beautiful. Long lilac strands accented her small frame while her pale legs were highlighted against the floor. Blood still dripped from her left eye, a mark left by Monokuma. It was disturbing how peaceful she looked. Togami would have thought she slept soundly if he didn't know the morbid truth. Kyouko Kirigiri was dead. Perished by the hands of another killing game. Gently, he lifted her wrist and glared at the arm band.

In _the days of yore, he hated her very existence. In the first killing game she was so quick to inspect the dead he became disgusted. Didn't she want to_ scream _or at least bawl her eyes out like the other peasants? Vile girl._

His thumb glided over her gloved knuckles. He tried to get there as soon as he could, but he ended up getting trapped in a pile of rubble when someone thought it was a great idea to mess with an overtly suspicious doll. If he had gotten there sooner maybe this wouldn't have happened.

 _How did that peasant manage to outsmart him in every class trial? Kyouko Kirigiri should have been useless like the others here. But somehow, she managed to find holes in his theories and find the true killer. If he admitted that she was more observant than him in that matter, he would grind his teeth. It didn't help the fact that she encouraged Makoto to help solve the case. Outsmarted by two peasants!_

His eyes became blurry at the memories. He cursed his pride for not telling her. He thought she wouldn't leave this world so soon. What a fool he was. Of course anyone would croak in this day and age. It was the apocalypse. Again, he cursed his pride. Even if she had rejected him(because she would have) at least he could have said those words to her face, instead of a corpse.

 _At some point in time, he avoided her more than Fukawa. She was like an itch that never went away, constantly reminding him of what he was, imperfect. Did she hurt his ego that bad? Yes, she did. When he saw her in the hallways he would slip into another room until she passed. Sometimes he would walk with a book in his hand to avoid looking at her. Because when he did, his insides would burn like a furnace. He chalked it up to rage._

Tears fell on her face. Why did it have to come to this? But no matter how much he cried and wished this didn't happen, she would never come back. He lifted her up and carried her bridal style out the room. She was light like a feather. He cherished the waning warmth leaking from her frame.

 _When he absolutely couldn't avoid her, like at class trials, he would avoid her_ gaze. _However, she made it hard for him to do so. Her eyes were constantly on him, shooting contradictions at him. He looked past her the entire time. He fought for his demeanor to stay calm, but on the inside he was filled with fire. Sweat rolled down his_ face _in waves and he hoped no one noticed. What kind of power did this woman have over him? Why did she make him feel so nervous when she glanced at him? When the trial was over, Makoto asked him why he was sweating while Kirigiri just stared._

He didn't watch as her body was placed inside a bag. Makoto said nothing. He just gazed at the van which carried his dead lover. Asahina wailed. Hagakure had his head in his hands, trying not to cry. Togami was empty.

 _When they escaped, she never strayed too far from Makoto. They were almost always together, sharing secret smiles or interlocking their fingers when no one was looking while they tried to survive in the city. This is when he learned what envy was. It was a monstrous desire of wanting to snatch away something that another person possesses. Envy. Yes, that's the word. He wouldn't lie to himself anymore. He wanted Kyouko Kirigiri. But he would never have her. Damn it all._

He stood in front of her grave with a single red rose. It was already littered with various flowers sent by her friends. The tombstone was generic and to the point. _Here lies Kyouko Kirigiri, a smart and wonderful person._ He set the rose down.

"I love you Kyouko Kirigiri. Rest in peace." Then he left, the last piece of his heart dying with her.


End file.
